Uncoupling device for car-couplings



E.JONES. UNCOUPLING DEVICE FOR CAI? COUPLINGS. APPLICATION FILED AUG-28, I919.

Edwin Jon s.

Vea-

' Patented Jul 20, 1920.

ZIEFFlCE.

Ell WIN JGITES, OF CLEVELAND, QHIO.

UNCOUPLIIJG- BEVIGE FOR OAR-JDUPLXNGS.

Application filed August 28, 1919.

T at! whom. it may com-cm.

Be it known that l, EDWIN JONES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ui'icoupling Devices for C r-Couplings; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in t e art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates generally to railway draft appliances, but more particularly to iiincoimlng devices for car couplers.

The prima I object of the invention is to provide a. device by which the locking pin of a car coupler connected to the operating or uncoupling rock shaft said device being constructed so that it can be easily and quickly applied to the car coupler or removed therefrom, and not having small parts such as bolts, nuts, washers and cotter pins which becomeeasily broken and lost.

Another object of the invention is to generally improve upon devices of this nature by the provision of an extremely simple. strong. durable and inexpensive in construction, one which will be eflicient and reliable in opei tion and well adapted to the purpose for whlcn it is designed.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, and the combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of his specification, and in which similar reirencc characters designate like parts throughout the several views,

Figure .l is a perspective view of a portion of a railway car, showing a device con structed in accordance with this invention applied to the coupler and uncoupling rock shaft;

fig. 2 is a side view of the device; i

g1". is a front view of the same; and,

- g. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on the plane indicated by the line llof Fig. 3.

In the embodiment illustrated the numoral 1 designates a car coupler which is of any standard construction and is provided with coupling knuckle 2 and a vertically movable locking pin As is usual with devices of this character the locking pin 3 serves to lock the knuckle 2 in closed Specification of Letters Yatent.

Patented Jul 20, 1920.

Serial No. 320,350.

position when in its lowermost position. Mounted in brackets secured to the end of the car is a rock shaft 5, the latter extending transversely of the car from the central portion thereof to one side and being provided with an operating arm or handle 6 at one end and a lifting; arm 7 at the other end. The free end of the lifting arm 7 is disposed substantially above the locking pin 3 and is provided with an eye 8. The upper end of the locking pin 3 is provided with an eye 9.

T his invention comprises a link connected to the locking pin 3 and a connector or clevis carried by the lifting arm 7. The link is substantially U-shaped in configuration being -formed from single length of metal and being bent at approximately its middle to form a pair of spaced arms 10 and 11. The ends or" the arms 10 and 11 adjacent the intermediate portion 12 of the link are offset outwardly as at 13 and 1% respectively, the offset portion 13 of the arm 10 only xtending; a slight distance from the intermediate portion 12 of the link while the onset portion 1-1 of the arm 11 extends a greater distance from the intermediate portion 12 of the 'link. The upper ends of the arms 10 and 11 are turned upon themselves to form open hooks 15.

The aforementioned connector or clevis also formed from a single length of metal and comprises a straight portion 16 having one end bent upon itself toform an open eye 1'? and its other end bent laterally as at 18. 'The lateral portion 18 of the clevis is then formed into an eye 19 arranged in a plane parallel to the plane of the eye 17, this being: accomplished by bendingthe lower end of the portion 18 at right-angles to said portion and then upon itself into a U-shape. As clearly shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings the eye 19 is slightly contracted.

The link is connected to the lockingpin 3 by inserting: the hooks through the eye 9 of the locking pin and then turning or swinging the link and sliding it through the eye until the intermediate portion 12 is extended through the eye. The link should be connected to the locking pin so that the hooks 15 extend rcarwardly.v The clevis is inserted through the eye 8 of the lifting arm 7 by inserting the free end of the eye 17 into the eye 8 and then turning the clevis it is being; slid into free end of one of the cent-the straig t portion 16- ofthe clev s. With the link connected to the locking pm the eye. The eye g should be disposed adja and the clevis connected to the lifting arm in themanner just described, these-two parts are coupled together by positioning the "straight portion 16 inthe eyes formed by the,

hooks 15. The clevis is then"rotated or swung upon its straight, portion 16 as; an

axis so-thatthe free end-of the eye 17 will pass around the'outer curve ofthe hook v of the arm 11 and become coupled thereto 19 can be forced open by slightly tapping the closed end of the same with a hammer.-

With the clevis and link connected in this manner it will be seen that the clevis has a slidable movement upon' the arms of the link but this movement is limited in its upward direction by the hooks 15 which consequegtly serve in the capacity of stops. The sli ing movement is for the purpose of preventing the locking pin 3 from accidentally being raised as the lifting arm 7, is moved slightly up and down by the vibration of the car. To uncouple the car it is only necessaryto swing the handle 6 so as to rock the shaft and lift the arm As soon as the straight portion 16 of the clevis engages beneath the hooks 15 relative sliding movement of the clevis with respect 'to the link will end and the link will be raised thereby lifting the locking pin. I

Should it be desired to disconnect the clevis from the link it is only necessary to raise the clevis until the straight portion 16 is disposed adjacent the hooks 15, then snap or force the eye 19 open until it becomes disengaged from the arm 10 and then to rotate or swing the clevis so that the free end of the eye 17 travels around the hook 15 carried by the arm 11. As soon as the free end of the eye 17 clears the free end of the hook 15 the.

clevis will be disconnected from the link.

Much importance is paid to the fact that both the link and the clevis can be connectbecomes easilly be easily an quickly applied to the car or characteristic which the invention has is that the clevis and the link may be'quickly and easily disconnected while the clevis remains attached to the releasing member.

Various changes in form, proportion, and in the minor details of construction may be resorted t6 without departing from the spirit I- locking member and a movable releasing' member together comprising a link carrie by the locking member, a connector carried by the releasing member, and coacting means carried by said link and said connecremoved therefrom. Anotherimportant torforslidabl coupling said link to said.-

connector, sai means being arranged for disengagement by a rotary movement of said connector with respect to said link, whereby to detach said connector from said link while said connector remains attached to said releasing member.

2. The combination of a car coupler having a vertically movable locking-pin, a substantially U-shaped link connected at its intermediate portion to said pin, a liftin arm having its free end disposed'above said pin and between the arms of said link, a

clevis loosely connected to the free end of said lifting arm and slidably connected to the arms of said link, and open hooks formed at the free ends of the arms of said link for limiting the sliding movement of said clevis upon the same, said clevis being adapted to be swung around said hooks to iifitiCi) an uncoupling of said clevis from said in r.

-3. The combination of a car cou ler having a vertically movable locking p1n,'a substantially U-shaped linkconnected at its intermediate portion to said pin, a lifting arm having its free end disposed above said pin and between the arms of said link, a

clevis loosely connected to the free end of said lifting arm and provided with eyes for slidably receiving the arms of said link, and open hooks formed at the free ends of the arms of said link to ordinarily limit the sliding movement of said clevis upon the same, said clevis being adapted to be swung so that its eyes will pass around said hooks to effect an uncoupling of said clevis from said link.

4. The combination of a car coupler having a vertically movable locking pin, a substantially U-shaped link connected at its intermediate portion to said pin, a lifting arm having its free end disposed above said pin and between the arms of said link, a clevis loosely connected to the free end of said lifting arm and provided with eves for slidably receiving the arms of said link, one of said eyes having a contracted end, and open hooks formed at the free ends of the arms of said link for ordinarily limiting the sliding movement of said clevis' on the same, the contracted eye of said clevis being adapted to be sprung open so that the re spective arm of said .link Will pass out of the same and said clevis can be swung so that the other eye Will pass around its respective hook to effect an uncoupling of said clevis from said link.

5. The combination of a car coupler having a vertically movable locking pin, a substantially U-shaped link connected at its intermediate portion to said pin, the inner ends of the arms of said links being offset outwardly, the offset portions being of different lengths, a lifting arm having its free end disposed above said pin and between said arms, a clevis formed from a single length of metal and having a straight portion extending through said lifting arm and an eye formed at one end of said ably receiving the arms of said link, and

open hooks formed at the free ends of the arms of said link for ordinarily limiting the sliding movement of said clevis 'upon the same, the contracted eye of said clevis being adapted to be sprung open so that the respective arm of said link may be passed out of the same and said clevis may be swung so that its other eye will pass around its re-,

spective hook to efi ect an uncoupling of said clevis from said link.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set In hand.

y EDWIN JONES. 

